fate led you and sunghoon to meet in an unfortunate situation. on one summer day, you landed in japan on a flight for an overseas job, working as a farmer’s grandchild on your grandmother’s hectare of land. way back, years ago, she became a resident of the said country, and when the opportunity came to your door too, you accepted it right away.
as you headed to your destination, you got lost, again and again struggling with the local transportation system, being a newcomer. you asked several people questions like, "where is this?", "how do i get there?" and even willingly showed them a piece of paper with the address written on it, but no one offered a helping hand. the directions they gave were either too complicated or difficult to understand, so you decided to figure it out on your own.
at the train station, the place was crowded with people as you looked around, scanning left and right. when one of the trains stopped, an old woman suddenly grabbed your elbow and spoke words you couldn’t understand. feeling the uncomfortable state, you quickly pulled away from her and stepped aside to distance yourself from the old woman. before you even got inside the train, it had already pulled out, now full. a sigh escaped from you. you're sure you had enough from this day.
patiently waiting for another one, you glanced around once again, hoping to find someone to ask for help. that’s when your eyes landed on a man dressed in a formal suit, wearing a black necktie and squared, old-fashioned glasses, all in black, making him look like a decent man living a life. taking a chance, you handed him your address paper, and he introduced himself, "sunghoon." during the conversation.
"you got the right train. hop in now, and you'll know where to get off by looking at the signs," he told you, handing the paper back. You politely smiled and took your paper from his hand, saying, "thank you, mister." before stepping inside the train for a once more ride when you spotted one. sunghoon boarded as well.
the train was packed, and despite searching for a seat, you couldn’t find one. so you ended up standing, gripping the safety handle tightly with one hand while holding your large bags dearly in the other. your cloche hat placed on head now.
after a solid few minutes, you noticed a sign matching the one on your paper, so you got off at the right stop. stepping out, you walk a few miles. you spotted a nearby bus station with the same destination on its sign and hopped onto it. when it finally stopped, you stepped off, your feet touching the ground with a sense of relief.
looking around, you saw lush greenery stretching in every direction. the wind brushed against your skin, carrying a fresh, earthy scent. you took a deep breath and walked forward, step by step.
as you walked along the path, you noticed slightly behind you, the man in the formal suit, sunghoon, walking in the same direction. maybe you were in an absent-minded state that you didn't notice him having the same transportations as you. furrowing your brows, you chose not to pay him any mind. in your thoughts, you assumed, "he was just another resident in the same area, just like my grandmother."
after walking for a while, you finally spotted your a figured-like-your-grandmother on the sidewalk. in your mind, you were still a 6-year-old girl, you knew her all too well, and without a doubt, you guessed it was really her. excited, you hurried carelessly with your things toward her and greeted, "hello, grandmum!" you waved your hand eagerly in front of her face, like a child.
to your surprise, she just simply looked at you, peering behind you, and bowed toward someone behind you. curious, you turned around and saw the person she was bowing to, it was the decent man on formal suit from the previous events.
"what's with that?" you asked, tapping your grandmother's arm. she didn't answer right away though, but after sunghoon gave nod as acknowledge and passed by both of you, she pinched your side.
